Get the fire back. What’s your plan?

As you’re reading this, I’m finishing up the week in Philadelphia at NAFCU’s Management and Leadership Institute.  I think it is a great event. But then again, I’m biased. I work at NAFCU. I helped design the institute. So I might be a bit too close to it all.

But here’s why I really like it: I see it in person.

• I see people get their “fire” back. You know – that desire to fix things. Improve things. The fire to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
• I see people make a plan. What type of leader do they want to be? What kind of team do they want to build?
• I see people think. We don’t do that enough. I see them think about our industry. Where is it headed? Is that the right direction? Where does it need to go?
• I see self-reflection. Where am I strong? Where am I weak? This leads to humility. This leads to planning. This leads to improvement.
• I see collaboration. Our teams work in groups. At first, there’s the expected awkwardness. But as barriers drop, conversations start. Learning blossoms. Ideas are shared. And at the end, there are hugs and some tears as folks head home.

Would I like you to come to our Management and Leadership Institute next year in Chicago? Sure. But let me be clear.

I want you to do something. To build a plan. There are other leadership courses out there. Use your Google machine, and you’ll find them pretty quick. But the key is to do something.

Make a plan. Get the fire back. Think. Reflect. And share.

Life is too short not to…